Adult Education Fall Book Study

Join this timely & important book study
“Healing the Heart of Democracy” by Parker J. Palmer
Starting the week of SEPTEMBER 14th

Pastor Bill Schram has offered to lead this important 7 WEEK STUDY at TWO TIMES. Join us as we consider and practice ways that we can speak, listen to and value each other in order to foster a community that regenerates a democracy “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. (A quick disclaimer: the book does not advance any political opinion. Rather it teaches us about “Habits of the Heart.”)

“Habits of the Heart” (a phrase coined by Alexis de Tocqueville) are deeply ingrained ways of seeing, being, and responding to life that involve our minds, our emotions, our self-images, our concepts of meaning and purpose. Parker Palmer writes about five interlocking habits that are critical to sustaining a
democracy:

1. An understanding that we are all in this together. Biologists, ecologists, economists, ethicists, and leaders of the great religious and wisdom traditions have all given voice to this theme. We humans are a profoundly interconnected species. Which leads to a second key habit of the heart…

2. An appreciation of the value of “otherness.” It is true that thinking of the world in terms of “us” and “them” is one of the many limitations of the human mind. The good news is that “us and them” does not have to mean “us versus them.” Instead, it can remind us of the ancient tradition of hospitality to the stranger in which we recognize that the stranger has much to teach us. Which leads to a third key habit of the heart…

3. An ability to hold tension in life-giving ways. Our lives are filled with inner and outer contradictions. We are flawed and finite beings whose understanding is always partial and in need of correction. The genius of the human heart lies in its capacity to use the tensions that come with our limitations to generate insight, energy, and new life. Making the most of those gifts requires a fourth key habit of the heart…

4. A sense of personal voice and agency. Insight and energy give rise to new life as we speak out and act out our own version of truth, while checking and correcting it against the truths of others. It is possible for us to know the satisfaction that comes from contributing to positive change—if we have the support of a community. Which leads to a fifth and final habit of the heart…

5. A capacity to create community. In a mass society like ours, community rarely comes ready-made. There are many ways to plant and cultivate the seeds of community in our personal and local lives. We must all become gardeners of community if we want democracy to flourish.

Sessions begin the week of September 14th
• Monday mornings from 10 to 11:30
• Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30

Register at Adult.edu@firstprescaldwell.org Please include…
• Name
• Email
• Phone
• Address
• Pick your session (Monday a.m./Wednesday p.m.)
• Adult Ed buy your book (Kindle/Paperback) OR Buy your own
• Are you interested in being a discussion facilitator? (We will give you more information)
• Are you familiar with ZOOM meetings?

IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BOOK STUDY, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTACT US AT THE SAME WEBSITE Adult.edu@firstprescaldwell.org